Tucson author Márquez Price writes as his father Delano Price offers some input at a recent visit to Donna Liggins Recreation Center in the Sugar Hill neighborhood. Márquez Price’s latest book, “The Backcourt,” profiles his father and his father’s best friend, Wallace “Hoegie” Simmons. The two led Tucson High School to the Arizona state championship in 1969 and are ranked among the best high school players in local history. Backstories and family histories form the foundation of the book.
Continue to fund neighborhood centers
Please continue to fund all neighborhood centers. With an Educational Specialist Degree in Educational Psychology and graduate-level coursework in Child Development, Adolescent Development and LifeSpan Development and having read many articles since those times, I know how essential a variety of community activities incorporating Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences are needed for interrelated physical, cognitive, and socioemotional development for children, youth, families, and adults of all ages.
As a long-time Tucson resident, I have personally benefited from, decades ago, participating, as a young adult, a free Vietnamese language instruction class alongside children and youth at the Northwest Neighborhood Center taught by Vietnamese American university students.
Other ethnicities seemed to benefit from other activities. Decades ago, I also substituted-taught or volunteer-taught English as a Second Language at 3 different neighborhood centers to adults and adolescents of different ethnicities. Neighborhood centers are essential for providing space and sponsoring such activities geographically accessible, including via walking, cycling, and free public transportation without difficult commute times or preventable safety issues.
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Patricia Bauerle
Midtown
Free speech or entrapment?
Phoenix police Sgt. Dusten Mullin attended an anti-ICE protest in Chandler and, according to his testimony in the police report, deliberately provoked protesters to assault him,
Police review of Mullin's behavior has been postponed while the court considers his lawsuit requesting that that procedure doesn't occur because it violates his "free speech" rights.
The Star's article mentions that police officers are "held to higher standards of conduct — both in and out of uniform," but doesn't mention anyone involved in the potential disciplinary action considering "entrapment," a disallowed behavior in police procedures.
Sgt. Mullin spends his free time provoking criminal behavior from teens who are averse to his political views and then claims his "free speech" rights are being violated. Mullin should yell "fire" in a crowded theater when there is no fire and observe how that transpires.
Hopefully, Judge Brnovich can discern "free speech" from entrapment. Obviously, Mullin couldn't.
Rick Cohn
West side
Trump vs Iran: tragic comedy
Trump, June, 2025: “We obliterated your nuclear capabilities. No nuclear weapons for decades.”
Iran: “Maybe.”
Trump, April, 2026: We have obliterated your military and any nuclear facilities that were missed when we obliterated them last time.
Iran: “Maybe.”
Trump: “Maybe? You are double obliterated. So there!”
Iran: “How about we blockade the Strait of Hormuz?"
Trump: “I don’t know what the Strait of Hormuz is, but you better not or we will blockade you right back.”
Iran: “So, you are blockading our blockade? Cool.”
Trump: “I am going to obliterate you again and destroy your whole civilization.”
Iran: “You already obliterated us three times, yet we still have a blockade and have damaged some of your bases with our obliterated military.”
Trump: “That’s enough. Get ready for total obliteration.”
Iran: “You sure love that word. How are you doing with the $6 gas and a 33% approval rating? Would you call that obliteration? And release the Epstein files or have you finally obliterated them?”
Gary Haslett
SaddleBrooke
A banking 'solution'
A recent opinion put forth the “solution” of piping in more water to the Colorado to solve the water issues of the southwest.
First, the Colorado has been over-allocated since the first agreement was signed in 1922 and what we are experiencing now is the end result of 100 years of failed policy. Bringing in more water is at best a very temporary band-aid. The only long-term solution is to use less and make sure what is used is used wisely. That, and stop electing people that deny climate change.
Second, how do we pay for it? Oh, the people proposing it just happened to have created a bank and would be happy to lend us the money. How convenient!
Here’s a better idea: Let's talk to the people that are actually informed and leave the profit seeking vultures on the sidelines.
David Reynolds
East side
Making history
Archived newspapers are used to explore and explain past history. In the hope there will be future (human, please) social scientists looking retrospectively at the current era, the record should show Tucson’s love as well as the daily discord on this editorial page. Sniping at each other with real and/or figurative bullets damages the self as well as the target. Warring across all levels is more costly than peaceful collaboration. So many Tucsonans volunteer and connect with good causes without being paid for their time and effort. We enrich one other’s lives for free. We share resources and extend care. We put our love to work. Let the record show that side of Tucson, too.
Mary DeCamp
Downtown
For your consideration
Donald Trump won two Presidential elections, primarily because he speaks directly and actually does what he promises, a far cry from the previous moribund Administration. He is an astute politician by any measure even if one hates the man. Considering that, why would he attack Iran when he knew it would elevate gasoline prices, angering many Republican voters and potentially tipping the 2026 election to the Democrats' favor? No way, unless ... Could it be that irrefutable intelligence indicated that Iran was very close to developing nuclear weapons and actually had ballistic missiles that could reach western Europe? Could it be that this information not only was valid, but that the Iranians had every intention of using that power to achieve their two main goals, the elimination of Israel and the destruction of all non-Muslim countries by threatening nuclear war and controlling a significant portion of the world’s energy source? I, like most others, obviously have no inside information, only rational logic and common sense.
Loyal M. Johnson Jr.
Oro Valley
Charles' elegant speech, and foibles
Several articles appeared in the Star over the weekend regarding the visit of King Charles III and Queen Camilla to the U.S.; journalists praised the king's personal qualities, including "manners," "polish" and sense of humor. In addition, writer Kathleen Parker spoke of his pronunciation of English that apparently can charm just about everyone, even President Trump, who praised his "beautiful accent." Oh the power of a silver tongue!
Speaking of King Charles' body parts, reports circulated widely and Charles finally admitted that he had been unfaithful to Princess Diana during their marriage. Sadly, this bad-boy behavior led to Diana seeking warmth and affection outside of matrimony. I wonder — isn't there just a drop or two of red on his hands?
The real hero of the royal family is the king's son, Prince Harry; with a nod to King Edward VIII, Harry stepped down from his royal duties and later said, "I don't want the job ... it killed my mum." He didn't want a repeat performance with his wife.
Barbara Russek
North side
Reusing water
I never would have believed I would be on the same page with Loren Hancock but here I am. He is absolutely correct in suggesting we should purify wastewater to drinking water standards. This makes so much more sense than creating a desal plant many miles away from the user source. Let's try a remedy that's entirely local!
Jan Foiles
West side
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